Here is my caramel apple roulade, filled with caramel buttercream, a soft apple filling, and topped with drippy caramel sauce and roasted apple slices.
GBBO inspiration
My latest recipe is once again inspired by the latest episode of the Great British Bake Off.
Last week was Dessert Week and the bakers on the show had to make roulades, a marjolaine, which is a nutty, layered meringue based dessert, and mini mousse cakes.
This got me thinking which of those I could feed to my family! We aren’t keen on nuts and the mousse cakes would require a lot of equipment I thought, so I decided on a roulade.
As well as pondering what the difference is between a roulade and a Swiss roll, I wanted to find some seasonal flavours that everyone would enjoy.
Recipe tips
The caramel sauce runs slowly down the edge of the roulade and pools at the side, and is just thick enough not to run off completely.
I cooked the apple slices for the top of the roulade so they are not completely soft but still have a little bite, whereas the apples in the filling are softer and more like a crumble filling.
For the sponge, I rolled it while still warm and left it to cool.
Luckily there was no cracking to the sponge and it remembered the shape well after being filled with the caramel buttercream and apple fillings.
Ingredients
Here’s what you will need for this recipe – get the quantities below.
- eggs
- caster sugar
- vanilla extract
- plain flour
- Bramley cooking apple
- dark muscovado sugar
- unsalted butter
- icing sugar
- Caramel – I used tinned Carnation caramel
Method
- Preheat your oven to 180℃ / 350℉.
- First make the sponge for the roulade. Whisk the eggs and caster sugar in a stand mixer for approximately ten minutes until pale, fluffy and thick.
- Add the vanilla extract then fold in the flour thoroughly.
- Line a Swiss roll tin with baking parchment (I used foil backed parchment). Pour the mixture into the lined tin, make sure it is spread to the corners and level.
- Bake for approx. 13 to 15 minutes until cooked in the centre, golden brown and springy to the touch.
- While the cake bakes, make the filling. Peel and core the cooking apple. Cut about six to eight thin slices and set aside. Chop the rest into small pieces and put it in a bowl with the dark muscovado sugar. Microwave on high for three minutes, stirring after each minute. Leave it to cool.
- Put the apple slices in a loaf tin, sprinkle with a little muscovado sugar and bake at 180°C for ten to fifteen minutes until golden.
- Beat the softened butter and icing sugar for five minutes in a stand mixer, then add three tablespoons of caramel sauce. Mix well.
- When removing the cake from the oven, roll it up right away along the long edge (when still warm and still on the backing paper). This ensures the cake takes on the roll shape (if you roll when cold it will break). Leave it to cool.
- Once the cake has cooled, unroll it, remove the baking paper, and spread the buttercream inside. Add the cooked apple mixture on top of the buttercream. Roll up the sponge again tightly with the filling inside.
- Put the caramel sauce in a bowl and stir to soften it. Drip the caramel sauce over the top of the cake to give a drippy ganache look.
- Arrange the apple slices on top and drizzle with a little more caramel sauce.
- Slice and serve!
I love the autumnal colour of the caramel sauce, and am glad the roulade is served in small slices as it is so sweet!
AO.com sent me a Kenwood Patissier and asked me to make a showstopping cake worthy of the GBBO crown to wow my family and friends.
I hope I’ve done them justice with my caramel apple roulade!
The Kenwood Patissier was a great help as it whizzed up the fatless sponge and caramel buttercream in no time.
More to try
More caramel and Swiss roll recipes you might like:
- Matcha chocolate roll from Tin and Thyme
- Apple and chocolate spelt Swiss roll from Fab Food 4 All
- Vanilla and speculoos roulade with strawberries and cream from It’s not easy being greedy
Pin this recipe for later on Pinterest:
Recipe
Caramel Apple Roulade
Ingredients
For the sponge:
- 4 eggs
- 125 g (⅔ cup) caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 125 g (¾ cup) plain flour (all-purpose flour)
For the apple filling and apple slices:
- 1 large Bramley cooking apple
- 30 g (6 tsp) dark muscovado sugar
For the caramel buttercream:
- 75 g (¼ cup + 1 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 150 g (1 cup) icing sugar
- 3 tbsp caramel I used Carnation Caramel
For the topping:
- A can of Carnation Caramel I used half
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180℃ / 350℉.
- First make the sponge for the roulade. Whisk the eggs and caster sugar in a stand mixer for approximately ten minutes until pale, fluffy and thick.4 eggs, 125 g caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- Add the vanilla extract then fold in the flour thoroughly.1 tsp vanilla extract, 125 g plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- Line a Swiss roll tin with baking parchment (I used foil backed parchment). Pour the mixture into the lined tin, make sure it is spread to the corners and level.
- Bake for approx. 13 to 15 minutes until cooked in the centre, golden brown and springy to the touch.
- While the cake bakes, make the filling. Peel and core the cooking apple. Cut about six to eight thin slices and set aside. Chop the rest into small pieces and put it in a bowl with the dark muscovado sugar. Microwave on high for three minutes, stirring after each minute. Leave it to cool.1 large Bramley cooking apple, 30 g dark muscovado sugar
- Put the apple slices in a loaf tin, sprinkle with a little muscavado sugar and bake at 180 degrees for ten to fifteen minutes until golden.
- Beat the softened butter and icing sugar for five minutes in a stand mixer, then add three tablespoons of caramel sauce. Mix well.75 g unsalted butter, 150 g icing sugar, 3 tbsp caramel
- When removing the cake from the oven, roll it up right away along the long edge (when still warm and still on the backing paper). This ensures the cake takes on the roll shape (if you roll when cold it will break). Leave it to cool.
- Once the cake has cooled, unroll it, remove the baking paper, and spread the buttercream inside. Add the cooked apple mixture on top of the buttercream. Roll up the sponge again tightly with the filling inside.
- Put the caramel sauce in a bowl and stir to soften it. Drip the caramel sauce over the top of the cake to give a drippy ganache look.A can of Carnation Caramel
- Arrange the apple slices on top and drizzle with a little more caramel sauce.
- Slice and serve!
Notes
Disclosure: AO.com sent me a mixer for the purposes of creating a recipe. I was not compensated for this post and all views are my own.
Patricia says
Can you freeze this
bakingqueen74 says
I think it would freeze well without the decoration and caramel drip so just the cake and buttercream filling. Though I haven’t tried it so please do report back.
Michaela Vickers says
I’ve never made a roulade before but will definatelt be trying this one! I have a question : In point no.9 You say to unroll the cake once cooled, do you roll it up as soon as it comes out of the oven? Many thanks.
bakingqueen74 says
Great I hope you do try it! Yes I rolled it up when warm and left it to cool in that shape.
Linda says
This baffled me too, and because I wasn’t told to roll it when it was warm mine just broke up, tasted lovely but looked awful, please add this to your recipe so it doesn’ happen to somebody else that hadn’t made a roulade before too.
bakingqueen74 says
Thanks Linda I will do. I thought it was clear enough as this is mentioned in the post above when explaining how it was made and I said to unroll it when cool.
Helen Costello says
OH wow, Lucy – This is so up my street. I adore roulades anyway but smothered in caramel. Gulp! Thanks so much for joining in with #BakeoftheWeek once again – Happy to tell you, this is my featured bake for this week! x
bakingqueen74 says
Thank very much Helen x I think I might make this at Christmas!
Gil says
The flavors were great. My sponge was thin and a little tough. I’m not sure what I did wrong. Also, should the left-overs be refrigerated?
bakingqueen74 says
Hi there, perhaps your tin was a different size. In the UK a Swiss roll tin is generally one that is 23×33 cm approx. I will add this to the recipe info. If it was tough it could have been overbaked or overmixed. Yes leftovers should be refrigerated. Glad to hear you enjoyed the flavours!
Corina says
Caramel and apple is such a wonderful combination! This roulade sounds perfect for autumn!
simplysensationalfood says
This looks amazing fantastic Gbbo challenge, it must have tasted amazing.
fabfood4all says
Totally loving this mouth watering apple roulade, perfect autumn bake! Thank you for linking to my swiss roll:-)
Janice @FarmersgirlCook says
This looks absolutely gorgeous, I’m having a caramel apple moment over on my blog too, it’s that time of year! Well done on keeping up with GBBO too.
Elizabeth says
That looks absolutely and utterly heavenly! And look at your mixer! I have mixer envy 🙂
choclette says
This is stunning Lucy, both in flavour and appearance. I’m rubbish at rolling and my roulades always crack. You’re looks most expertly done. Thanks for including a link to one of mine. Have discovered on SY, stumbled and flipped. Just about to tweet and pin.
Kat says
This is making my mouth water, what a perfect flavour combo!
bakingqueen74 says
Thanks Kat, perfect for the season I thought!
jennypaulin says
mmmmmm i love toffee and apples so this would be another dessert i could happily ( and easily lets face it!) wolf down !!! It looks so delicious . I also love the colour of your Kenwood Patissier – i can’t stop looking at mine (cream), its soon lovely
thank you for linking up xx
bakingqueen74 says
Thanks Jenny, I am trying to resist what is left!! Your mixer is lovely too, isn’t the retro shape fab?!
Jacqui Bellefontaine says
love the flavour combination and the autumnal colours of this bake. It looks absolutely delicious
bakingqueen74 says
Thanks so much Jacqui
Cathy Glynn says
This looks so good, I would never have thought to use apples and caramel. Yummy x
bakingqueen74 says
Thanks Cathy